New models bring more than a dash of connectivity

"The youngest buyers are looking for electronics that are innovative and have a high 'cool' factor while those over the age of 50 lean toward safety, comfort and control features," says Lara Koslow, a partner in BCG's Los Angeles office.

Koslow says mature buyers tend to be interested in vehicle handling, active safety and crash avoidance features. Young customers want something they can show off to their friends: an in-car fridge, a massage seat, the best connectivity, automotive bling.

"Young buyers want to be able to Twitter and send instant messages while older buyers view that as unsafe," Koslow reports.

Young buyers are more likely to play around with new electronics and figure things out intuitively, she says.

When it comes to new features, mature consumers responded: "I don't want to have to read the manual."

All ages indicate they would like a "mobile living room" in a new car. They want places to store their carry-on gadgets, plus the creature comforts of home, Koslow says.

What is safe?

The Boston Consulting Group study found that mature consumers for whom connectivity was not critical said they thought it "unsafe to get emails and texts while driving."

Paul Green at the University of Michigan works with the Driver Interface Group. Its emphasis is on the design of controls, displays (including symbols) and information systems like navigation and warnings. They also address how people drive, driver workload and driver eye fixations.

They study the time it takes to read navigation systems with varying amounts of information; what type of information on heads-up displays interferes with driving, and how much should a driver be able to do with a navigation system while the vehicle is moving.

Green says design engineers who develop systems need to learn how people learn. One test procedure, he says, had subjects talk as they worked through a given (electronic) task.

"They were thinking it through aloud," Green says. That can help designers and the automakers create and sell products that are understandable and useful, he says.